1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a shipping rack having a dunnage bar, more particularly, to a locking mechanism for a dunnage bar on a shipping rack.
2. Description of Related Art
Racks of the type to which the present invention relates are commonly used for shipping industrial parts. An example of such a shipping rack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,699,280, issued Oct. 13, 1987, by inventor Donald A. Hoss. Typically, a shipping rack has a bottom wall and upstanding end and side walls. Commonly, removable dunnage bars are secured between the end walls of the shipping rack to allow elements being shipped to be easily loaded and unloaded.
In the past, dunnage bars and rack contents have been damaged due to impact loads on the bars by external forces. This has occurred because the ends of the bars are fixed relative to the end walls of the shipping rack, making the dunnage bars substantially rigid with the result that they do not give upon impact.